Hello world; look at this

I’ll launch this blog with the scene that inspired it: an outcrop of serpentinite on Crestmont Drive near Butters. It depicts the failure of city planners to acknowledge the geology of the Oakland Hills. First, Crestmont was laid out with a roadcut into this rotten stone—actually it’s beautiful, but it’s crumbly—with no allowance for its deterioration. Then the house above it was allowed to be built without ensuring that the slope would be undisturbed. To the right of this view is a bare scree slope, spilling rock debris onto Crestmont. This site is a nonstop disaster that will be repaired, shored up, repaved and regraded for the foreseeable future.

4 Responses to “Hello world; look at this”

Id like to say that that is a localized phenomina, but ive seen such a mishmash of planning from oakland to cloverdale up the 101, and on across to clear lake (I’m a geologist and spend some time in the Geysers geothermal area), that whole area has masses of serpentine outcropped, in someplaces, some of the back roads get bull dozed at least once a month just to keep them passable, guess its just one of the cost for living or working in an area so beautiful

You don’t need to go to the hills to find serious erosion and tectonic movement. Take a look at the poor homeowners on 14th Avenue below 580 (near Highland Hospital), Wallace St buildings are toppling into the backyards of 14th Ave residents.

Your blog is really interesting. I have a son who lives in the Oakland hills and a cousin who lives in Berkeley, near the stadium, on Panorama. I will pass our blog along to them. I believe you need to face your fears. Geology is the center of reality in this world. Keep taking photos.